television

The outrageous Comedy Central series Workaholics is not exactly realistic but it is scarily relatable. The show follows three twenty-something male telemarketers who live together. They are inarticulate, irresponsible, immature and in active denial of both their age and social ineptitude. While still chasing idealized visions of adolescent coolness, they are actually much smarter than they act and much dorkier than they wish. Because of this, they are utterly relatable to guys across America in the same age range. The ones who grew in the mid-2000’s surrounded by rap music and air soft guns, only to realize the ridiculousness of their tastes and behavior later in life. But while we grow up and adapt, the characters of Workaholics see the foolishness in their actions and stay the course, refusing to change, and acting just as illogically as they always did. And somewhere deep down, we admire them for it. In this way, Workaholics is a suitably pathetic Generation-Y update on Peter Pan. A story of eternal youth and all its glorious idiocy.

Castle, ABC’s hit series, deftly blends mystery and comedy. The amusement starts with the premise itself. Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) is a best-selling mystery writer who joins NYPD detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) as a consultant on a series of criminal investigations. Beckett served as the inspiration and model for Castle’s most iconic fictional character. He is allowed to tag along with her simply because he loves a good mystery story, real or fictional, and he is personal friends with the mayor. The appeal of the show rests in the relationship between the lead characters. The stoic Beckett is contrasted with the witty, goofily enthusiastic Castle, who sees everything in life as a pulpy genre story waiting to happen. The series revels in this same ideal of storytelling. Plots shift week to week from ordinary law & order murder investigations to CIA counter-terrorism conspiracies to undercover mob infiltrations to Halloween-themed mock vampire attacks. All of them are loaded with lovable pop culture references and puzzles that manage to both twist and charm. It’s worth a watch for anyone who loves a good whodunit and wouldn’t mind seeing a lead character who shares their passion.

During the school year, I never really have a ton of time to engage in the purely-American tradition of watching primetime TV. And, honestly, I really don’t like TV all that much to begin with. But, even so, I do enjoy watching a few shows; namely, “The Big Bang Theory,” “Jeopardy!” (for which I’ll be taking the online test in March in hopes of being on the college tournament – wish me luck!), “Emily Owens M.D.” (which was cancelled, much to my dismay), and “The Amazing Race.”

Tomorrow night, the next season of “The Amazing Race” will begin. I’ve always loved this show because it allows me to travel the world and experience various cultures while sitting in my spot on the couch. (I openly admit that, like Sheldon Cooper on “The Big Bang Theory,” I do have my special spot on the couch around which my entire universe revolves.) I’ve loved that show since the very beginning, and I think it would be awesome to be a contestant on it one day.

But as I think about watching this and other reality shows, I realize that my reality is much different. Instead of asking the question to the given answer or scarfing down a huge bowl of cheese while sitting on a Ferris wheel in a faraway country, I’ll be studying for the four tests that I have to take next week. I’ll be reviewing the evolutionary relationships among the central nervous systems of various species, the differences among the different types of biochemical reactions, and the equations related to electric fields. Is this as fun as backpacking on a race around the world? Arguably not. But, eventually, I’ll get somewhere special because of all of this studying, even if that special somewhere is a lab in the middle of the city of St. Louis.

And for those of you who need a quick pick-me-up break from studying, enjoy one of my very favorite guilty-pleasure clips from – you guessed it – “The Amazing Race.”

Ah, the joys of primetime television. The fall season is and has always been my favorite season of television. Though I’m definitely not what you’d call a TV junkie, I do love sitting down on my couch after a long day, putting my feet up, snacking on some popcorn or other theatrical delicacy, and catching up on some of my favorite shows.

This semester, however, has inadvertently taught me how to be choosy with my shows. I haven’t really watched any TV since school started because I’ve been really busy studying for tests, working on organic chemistry problems, writing lab reports, and reading. Like most people of the twenty-first century, I don’t have a DVR; I still use an old-fashioned VCR to record my favorite television shows on a videotape. Because videotapes will only record for a total of two-and-a-half hours, I can only record about three shows (as long as one of those shows is only a half hour long).

This season, I had hoped to watch Fox’s “Terra Nova” and “X-Factor,” CBS’s “Person of Interest,” and ABC’s “Last Man Standing” (I just love Tim Allen!). These new shows, of course, would have to come after some old favorites like NBC’s “Chuck,” of which I’ve been an avid watcher since its pilot episode during my sophomore year of high school, and “The Big Bang Theory,” which is always chock full of great science jokes to share among my circle of friends.

“So,” you may wonder, “which shows are you actually watching this season?” My answer, for now, would have to be just “The Big Bang Theory.” The final season of “Chuck” (tears and sniffles) begins two weeks from today, so I will most definitely be putting away my chemistry book in order to see the final chapter of my all-time favorite show. Though it’s somewhat upsetting that I won’t be able to actively participate in my favorite season of television, I’m happy to say that my biology classes are definitely worth it. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else (except for, maybe, watching a few other shows during primetime…)

“A neutron walks into a bar and asks how much for a drink. The bartender replies, ‘For you, no charge.'” – The Big Bang Theory

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